Ratnagiri : Mohammed Zaid Mattihalli, a mere seven-year-old marathon runner from a small village in Haveri district in Karnataka, became the center of attention at the Konkan Coastal Marathon in Ratnagiri on Sunday morning. Mohammed is the gold medalist in the 2022 event held in Kathmandu, Nepal. In the marathon held in Ratnagiri, he covered the prescribed 5 km distance of the event in just 25 minutes and left Ratnagiri for Karnataka with his 21st marathon medal around his neck.

The Konkan Coastal Marathon was held at Ratnagiri on Sunday. Contestants from Maharashtra and outside Maharashtra also participated in this competition. Only seven-year-old Mohammed Zaid, who was selected by the Karnataka government for the Dronagiri Award, also participated in the competition. Mohammad has so far won medals in twenty marathon events in Karnataka as well as outside Karnataka. This is the 21st medal he won in Ratnagiri on Sunday.

Mohammed, who ran on the streets of Ratnagiri in the marathon event held in Ratnagiri on Sunday, is a gold medalist in the 2022 South Asian Federation's Indo-Nepal International Games held in Kathmandu, Nepal. He was only five years old then.